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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27675266">The History of Liberty</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/MrToddWilkins/pseuds/MrToddWilkins'>MrToddWilkins</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>The Empire of Liberty, and the tales thereof [4]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Alternate History RPF</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>A More Perfect Union, History, Imperialism, More Egalitarian America, manifest destiny, the Kaiserreich endures</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-11-22</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-01-20</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 06:21:40</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>6</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>7,405</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27675266</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/MrToddWilkins/pseuds/MrToddWilkins</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>The alternate timeline of this universe. Includes everything,even spaceflight.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>The Empire of Liberty, and the tales thereof [4]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/2009461</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. 1777-1778:a different war</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Like all avalanches,this history begins with a single divergence. In October 1776,Nova Scotia and Quebec joined in the American Revolution on the side of the 13 colonies,bringing their number up to 15. Representatives of these colonies sent missives to the Continental Army,proposing an invasion of the Canadas to add them to the newly independent nation of the United States. It was with reluctance that Continental Army Commander-in-Chief George Washington agreed, dispatching John Laurens to oversee the invasion.</p><p>Said invasion commenced on March 8,1777,when General Horatio Gates led an army of 500 Patriots to capture the town of York. The invasion was totally successful,the Yankee army losing about 80 of its men. The York garrison surrendered on March 16. From there Gates established his command,declaring himself Governor General of Upper Canada on April 3. Subsidiary armies under Stephen Carter and Robert Howe continued the campaign to the capture of Mississauga on May 22. By August all the shores of the Great Lakes were in American hands. Meantime,Nova Scotia launched on July 31 an invasion of Newfoundland from the sea,securing the province in American hands by December although scattered resistance continued through much of 1778.</p><p>Excepting that Benedict Arnold stayed loyal to the Continental cause,the rest of 1777 and early 1778 proceeded more or less as OTL. The north still remained quiescent during the spring,Burgoyne still marauded his way through upper New York in summer,the Battles of Saratoga were still fought,and Washington’s army still froze their asses off at Valley Forge. It was at the end of March that the tired army broke camp,marching to Philadelphia and its relief from Burgoyne’s siege on April 12. As a gesture of munificence,Washington allowed Burgoyne and his soldiery to sail for Britain forthwith. On Easter Sunday (April 17,1778), Washington paraded through Philadelphia in the manner of a Roman triumph. Now his thoughts turned to a similar relief of New York City,and then turning south to end the war once and for all.</p><p> </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. 1778-1779:the turning of the tide</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The Treaty of Boston,signed on December 12,1777,saw the French and Prussians recognize the United States as a free and independent nation, and the Spaniards joined in with the Treaty of Alicante on July 28,1778. In March 1778 Gilbert du Motier,the Marquis of Lafayette,and Prussian military leader Friedrich von Steuben led an expedition from Le Havre to Philadelphia. They arrived on May 3,expecting a siege,but instead they found Washington in command of a professional army the likes of which they’d never seen before. Washington deputized the fierce Steuben as  captain-in-chief of the war’s Canadian theater,subordinate only to Generals Laurens,Gates,and Arnold. Steuben arrived in York in mid-June,was briefed by Arnold,then shifted his headquarters to Montreal,where he spent the summer drilling the Continental Regulars there in more efficient ways of warcraft.</p><p>The Battle of Monmouth (June 28-July 1,1778) saw the main group of the Continental Army fight the 3rd Royal Regiment to a draw,but the Americans did succeed in capturing the regiment’s commander,Sir Henry Clinton. Clinton was kept under house arrest in Philadelphia for the remainder of the war,being allowed to return to Britain in 1782. From there Washington’s army swept up through northern New Jersey like a plague of locusts,relieving New York on Saturday,August 22. The following Sunday was a day of celebration throughout the city. From there the northern war effort turned more to the area east of the St Lawrence river,including most of the modern day state of Acadia. Washington himself turned his attention to the west and south,leaving Arnold to oversee what remained of the war in the north. In mid-November he entered winter quarters near the modern day site of Martinsburg,Westsylvania. After a quiet three months,the army broke camp on Palm Sunday and,reinforced by local farmers and the suchlike,began the campaigns that would lead to the end of the Revolutionary War.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. 1779-1780:the secural of liberty</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>In the Canadian theater the war was nearly over by 1779. Friedrich von Steuben found himself deployed to the Hudson’s Bay lands to convince the British legation there to peacefully surrender the territories to American control. On April 21,1779,two days after the fourth anniversary of the Revolutionary War,Sir Bibye Lake formally surrendered the HBC lands to Steuben. He was granted safe passage to Britain in the summer.</p><p><br/>In the south,the Battles of Guilford Courthouse (April 6,1779),Victory Mills (April 24),Cloverhill (May 17),New Bern (June 18),and the relief of Richmond on July 12 were demonstrating the strength of the American cause. The locals flocked to the Continentals in unprecedented numbers,demonstrating that the people of the South were sympathetic to the new nation. Charles Cornwallis,the new British commander in America,faced off against both the Americans and the French by both land and sea. With the best lands in Virginia now firmly in American hands,he retreated to the fort at Yorktown. The siege of Yorktown commenced in September. Now it was Cornwalls’ turn to endure a Valley Forge,with little hope of relief from his homeland.</p><p>Throughout the autumn of 1779 and into the winter of the new year 1780,the siege held. It held first by land,and then by sea after the French fleet arrived in January 1780. John Laurens and George Washington were determined to make the British surrender. If they did,the war would be good as won.</p><p>The turning point was the arrival of Benedict Arnold and Friedrich von Steuben at the end of February,the Canadas pacified and in American hands. The Americans and the French occupied the abandoned defenses and began to establish their own batteries there. With the British outer defenses in their hands, allied engineers began to lay out positions for the artillery. The men improved their works and deepened their trenches. The British also worked on improving their defenses. On March 11,the French attacked the British Fusiliers redoubt. The skirmish lasted two hours, in which the French were repulsed, suffering several casualties. Throughout the next week the siege progressed,and on March 20 the bombardment of Yorktown began.</p><p>On March 25,1780,General Cornwallis rode out and surrendered to Washington. He and von Steuben signed articles of capitulation on April 3. For the better part,the Revolutionary War was over. Liberty had been secured in America by the soldiers of the Continental Army:now it would be the turn of the diplomats on both sides to secure a lasting peace. Enter James Madison......</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. 1780-1781:the Treaty of Lausanne</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>According to the Omnipedia article on the Revolutionary War, the war lasted from April 19,1775 to July 24,1781. The latter,of course,refers to the day the Treaty of Lausanne was signed,ending the war.</p><p>Lausanne was chosen in June 1780 as a neutral site for the negotiation of the peace between Britain and America. It was in Switzerland, which no war had touched in over 250 years. There was no shortage of innkeepers willing to accommodate the diplomats who would negotiate the terms of the peace. Thusly,the treaty provided a boost to Lausanne’s economy and is still well remembered there today. <br/><br/></p><p>The Convention of Lausanne met at the beginning of April 1781,just more than a year after Cornwallis’ surrender. It was the general himself who represented Britain,having been repatriated the previous September. In the interim,in November 1780,the Articles of Concordance had been ratified. These served as the first American constitution. The chief representatives of America were James Madison and John Adams. Representing the declining French kingdom was Maurice Thibault,a high ranking officer of state. Prince Vladimir of Rostov represented the Russian Empire.</p><p>The treaty was negotiated over the course of 18 plenary sessions conducted between April 12 and June 9. The first few addressed the disposition of territories,then the latter turned to trade between Britain and its allies and the US and theirs. The final sessions addressed intergovernmental relations.</p><p>
  <em>The Terms of the Treaty of Lausanne</em>
</p><p>Henceforth,Great Britain permanently ceded all its territories in North America to the newly formed United States. This included Quebec,the Maritimes,Newfoundland,both Canadas,Rupert’s Land,and Bermuda. Spain also ceded the Louisianan lands and Florida to America for siding with the British. First,Spain was required to sell these lands to France,which occurred in October 1781. Then,on June 22,1787,they reverted permanently to American control. <br/><br/>A British consulate was established in Philadelphia and an American in London.</p><p>A Board of Trade (headed by Gouverneur Morris and Stephan Arsenault for America and Sir Bibye Lake and Sir Arthur Riles for Britain) was set up to manage commerce between the two nations.</p><p>The Treaty of Lausanne entered into force on July 24. It was marked by celebrations on both sides of the Atlantic. On Sunday,September 9,Washington gave a Farewell Speech to the Continental Army,dismissing them with full pay and thanking them for their service to the new nation.</p><p> </p><p><br/>The war between Britain,France,and Spain ended with the Treaty of Edinburgh, signed on January 20,1783.</p><p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>And thusly the Louisiana Purchase occurs ~20 years earlier than OTL. Muahahaha.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. 1781-1785:the new nation</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Neither Washington nor most of the other Founding Fathers intended the Articles of Concordance to be anything more than a temporary measure while a more permanent Constitution was hammered out. As such the Articles contained a large leeway <em>re </em>actions the state governments could take,which naturally lent itself to abuse by powerful officials. While the nation was confederated together the individual states held enormous power and did little to benefit the nation as a whole. There were problems of language in both the North and the South. The Québécois were accustomed to doing government in French,however English was now the main language of government. A similar problem existed in the primarily Spanish-speaking territory of Florida. As such the Continental Congress,now led by Thomas Jefferson,passed a resolution in March 1783 to make English,French,and Spanish the three official languages of American government,but none of these were recognized as the official language of state. In 1784, Québécois representative Guy Carleton, who succeeded Stephan Arsenault after he was appointed to the Anglo-American Board of Commerce, proposed a Basic Law of the United States. This law would cover basic freedoms granted to US citizens,and ran as follows:</p><p> </p><ol>
<li>Guarantee to the right to liberty and conscience, including freedom of religious belief and practice;</li>
<li>Guarantee to the right to property which is an inviolable and sacred right, and cannot be taken without due process and under the condition of a just and prior indemnity;</li>
<li>Guarantee to the right of resistance, self-defense and defense of family;</li>
<li>Guarantee to the right of association;</li>
<li>Guarantee to a timely and fair trial, assistance of counsel and prohibition on excessive or cruel punishment;</li>
<li>Guarantee to the right of free communication of thoughts and opinions including speech, writings and printings;</li>
<li>No branch or individual granted authority by the constitution may exert authority without the consent of the people;</li>
<li>A definition of liberty as “anything which does not harm others”;</li>
<li>A prohibition on any law that forbids anything that is not harmful to society;</li>
<li>A statement that, the law being the expression of the will of the people, the citizens shall have a right to contributing personally, or through their representatives, to its formation;</li>
<li>A prohibition on the execution of arbitrary orders and uses of force by those in a position of authority;</li>
<li>A statement that the force of law shall not exceed what is evidently necessary to enforce it;</li>
<li>A statement that there is a guarantee of the rights of the people and of the citizenry which necessitates a public force and this force is instituted for the advantage of all and not for the particular utility of those in a position of authority;</li>
<li>Taxation to support this public force and other administrative necessities requires a common contribution which should be equally distributed to all citizens according to their ability to pay;</li>
<li>Each citizen has the right to question any public tax, consent to it, know its uses, basis, collections, proportions and distributions and has the right to request an accounting from a public agent of the government;</li>
<li>An adjustment to the Preamble of the Articles (later of the Constitution) that any society in which the guarantees of rights is not assured, nor the separation powers determined.</li>
<li>A statement that these rights are listed as caution and might not contain all of the rights men actually have;</li>
<li>A statement that all powers not delegated to the federal government under the constitution are reserved by the states and the people.</li>
</ol><p>These would eventually become the Bill of Rights.</p><p><br/>Also in this timeframe there occurred the beginning of the great western expansion. The Treaty of Hartford, a Treaty of Lausanne rider signed in March 1782, granted the USA what at the time was called Transylvania (the modern states of Ohio,Indiania,Illinois,Mishigama,Ouisconsin,Minnesota,Canada,and Manitoba). Northern Massachusetts also was separated from Massachusetts proper and on November 10,1783 was incorporated as the Territory of Norumbega. On the same day,the easternmost portions of New York were recognized as the Territory of Vermont as a reward to Ethan Allen and his Green Mountain Boys for the service in the war.</p><p>Recognizing the problems inherent in the Articles, Washington called for a constitutional convention in 1786 to hammer out the new shape of American government.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. The Constitution of the United States of America</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>You know what? Assume the Constitutional Convention went mostly as OTL</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>We the people of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.<br/><br/></p><p>
  <b>Article I</b>
</p><p><br/>Section 1.<br/><br/>All legislative Powers herein granted shall be vested in a Congress of the United States, which shall consist of a Senate and House of Representatives.<br/><br/>Section 2.<br/><br/>The House of Representatives shall be composed of Members chosen every second Year by the People of the several states, and the Electors in each State shall have the Qualifications requisite for Electors of the most numerous Branch of the State Legislature.<br/><br/>No Person shall be a Representative who shall not have attained to the Age of twenty five Years, and been seven Years a Citizen of the United States, and who shall not, when elected, be an Inhabitant of that State in which he shall be chosen.<br/><br/>Representatives and direct Taxes shall be apportioned among the several States which may be included within this Union, according to their respective Numbers, which shall be determined by adding to the whole Number of all Persons. The actual Enumeration shall be made within three years after the first meeting of the congress of the United States, and within every subsequent term of ten years, in such manner as they shall by law direct. The Number of Representatives shall not exceed one for every thirty Thousand, but each State shall have at Least one Representative; and until such enumeration shall be made, the State of Newfoundland shall be entitled to choose one, Quebec six, the Island of St. John one, Nova Scotia three, New Hampshire three, Massachusetts eight, Norumbega three,Rhode Island and Providence Plantations one, Connecticut five, New York six,Vermont two, New Jersey four, Pennsylvania eight, Delaware one, Rupert’s Land and the Hudson’s Bay Lands three,the Canadas four,Maryland six, Virginia ten, North Carolina five, South Carolina five, Georgia three, Louisiana seven,and Florida four.<br/><br/>When vacancies happen in the Representation from any State, the Executive Authority thereof shall issue Writs of Election to fill such Vacancies.<br/><br/>The House of Representatives shall chuse their Speaker and other Officers; and shall have the sole Power of Impeachment.<br/><br/>Section 3.<br/><br/>The Senate of the United States shall be composed of two Senators from each State, chosen by the Legislature thereof, for six Years; and each Senator shall have one Vote.<br/><br/>Immediately after they shall be assembled in Consequence of the first Election, they shall be divided as equally as may be into three Classes. The Seats of the Senators of the first Class shall be vacated at the Expiration of the second Year, of the second Class at the Expiration of the fourth Year, and the third Class at the Expiration of the sixth Year, so that one third may be chosen every second Year; and if Vacancies happen by Resignation, or otherwise, during the Recess of the Legislature of any State, the Executive thereof may make temporary Appointments until the next Meeting of the Legislature, which shall then fill such Vacancies.<br/><br/>No Person shall be a Senator who shall not have attained to the Age of thirty Years, and been nine Years a Citizen of the United States, and who shall not, when elected, be an Inhabitant of that State for which he shall be chosen.<br/><br/>The Vice President of the United States shall be President of the Senate, but shall have no Vote, unless they be equally divided.<br/><br/>The Senate shall chuse their other Officers, and also a President pro tempore, in the Absence of the Vice President, or when he shall exercise the Office of President of the United States.<br/><br/>The Senate shall have the sole Power to try all Impeachments. When sitting for that Purpose, they shall be on Oath or Affirmation. When the President of the United States is tried, the Chief Justice shall preside: And no Person shall be convicted without the Concurrence of two thirds of the Members present.<br/><br/>Judgment in Cases of Impeachment shall not extend further than to removal from Office, and disqualification to hold and enjoy any Office of honor, Trust or Profit under the United States: but the Party convicted shall nevertheless be liable and subject to Indictment, Trial, Judgment and Punishment, according to Law.<br/><br/>Section 4.<br/><br/>The Times, Places and Manner of holding Elections for Senators and Representatives, shall be prescribed in each State by the Legislature thereof; but the Congress may at any time by Law make or alter such Regulations, except as to the Places of chusing Senators.<br/><br/>The Congress shall assemble at least once in every year, and such Meeting shall be on the first Monday in January, unless they shall by Law appoint a different Day.<br/><br/>Section 5.<br/><br/>Each House shall be the Judge of the Elections, Returns and Qualifications of its own Members, and a Majority of each shall constitute a Quorum to do Business; but a smaller Number may adjourn from day to day, and may be authorized to compel the Attendance of absent Members, in such Manner, and under such Penalties as each House may provide.<br/><br/>Each House may determine the Rules of its Proceedings, punish its Members for disorderly Behaviour, and, with the Concurrence of two thirds, expel a Member.<br/><br/>Each House shall keep a Journal of its Proceedings, and from time to time publish the same, excepting such Parts as may in their Judgment require Secrecy; and the Yeas and Nays of the Members of either House on any question shall, at the Desire of one fifth of those Present, be entered on the Journal.<br/><br/>Neither House, during the Session of Congress, shall, without the Consent of the other, adjourn for more than three days, nor to any other Place than that in which the two Houses shall be sitting.<br/><br/>Section 6.<br/><br/>The Senators and Representatives shall receive a Compensation for their Services, to be ascertained by Law, and paid out of the Treasury of the United States. They shall in all Cases, except Treason, Felony and Breach of the Peace, be privileged from Arrest during their Attendance at the Session of their respective Houses, and in going to and returning from the same; and for any Speech or Debate in either House, they shall not be questioned in any other Place.<br/><br/>No Senator or Representative shall, during the Time for which he was elected, be appointed to any civil Office under the Authority of the United States, which shall have been created, or the Emoluments whereof shall have been encreased during such time; and no Person holding any Office under the United States, shall be a Member of either House during his Continuance in Office.<br/><br/>Section 7.<br/><br/>All Bills for raising Revenue shall originate in the House of Representatives; but the Senate may propose or concur with Amendments as on other Bills.<br/><br/>Every Bill which shall have passed the House of Representatives and the Senate, shall, before it become a Law, be presented to the President of the United States; If he approve he shall sign it, but if not he shall return it, with his Objections to that House in which it shall have originated, who shall enter the Objections at large on their Journal, and proceed to reconsider it. If after such Reconsideration two thirds of that House shall agree to pass the Bill, it shall be sent, together with the Objections, to the other House, by which it shall likewise be reconsidered, and if approved by two thirds of that House, it shall become a Law. But in all such Cases the Votes of both Houses shall be determined by yeas and Nays, and the Names of the Persons voting for and against the Bill shall be entered on the Journal of each House respectively. If any Bill shall not be returned by the President within ten Days (Sundays excepted) after it shall have been presented to him, the Same shall be a Law, in like Manner as if he had signed it, unless the Congress by their Adjournment prevent its Return, in which Case it shall not be a Law.<br/><br/>Every Order, Resolution, or Vote to which the Concurrence of the Senate and House of Representatives may be necessary (except on a question of Adjournment) shall be presented to the President of the United States; and before the Same shall take Effect, shall be approved by him, or being disapproved by him, shall be repassed by two thirds of the Senate and House of Representatives, according to the Rules and Limitations prescribed in the Case of a Bill.<br/><br/>Section 8.<br/><br/>The Congress shall have Power To lay and collect Taxes, Duties, Imposts and Excises, to pay the Debts and provide for the common Defence and general Welfare of the United States; but all Duties, Imposts and Excises shall be uniform throughout the United States;<br/><br/>To tax articles exported from the states with the consent of two-thirds of both houses of Congress so long as the tax is uniform amongst the states.;<br/><br/>To borrow Money on the credit of the United States;<br/><br/>To regulate Commerce with foreign Nations, and among the several States, and with the Indian Tribes;<br/><br/>To establish an uniform Rule of Naturalization, and uniform Laws on the subject of Bankruptcies throughout the United States;<br/><br/>To coin Money, regulate the Value thereof, and of foreign Coin, and fix the Standard of Weights and Measures;<br/><br/>To provide for the Punishment of counterfeiting the Securities and current Coin of the United States;<br/><br/>To establish Post Offices and post Roads;<br/><br/>To promote the Progress of Science and useful Arts, by securing for limited Times to Authors and Inventors the exclusive Right to their respective Writings and Discoveries;<br/><br/>To constitute Tribunals inferior to the supreme Court;<br/><br/>To define and punish Piracies and Felonies committed on the high Seas, and Offences against the Law of Nations;<br/><br/>To declare War, grant Letters of Marque and Reprisal, and make Rules concerning Captures on Land and Water;<br/><br/>To raise and support Armies, but no Appropriation of Money to that Use shall be for a longer Term than two Years;<br/><br/>To provide and maintain a Navy;<br/><br/>To make Rules for the Government and Regulation of the land and naval Forces;<br/><br/>To provide for calling forth the Militia to execute the Laws of the Union, suppress Insurrections and repel Invasions;<br/><br/>To provide for organizing, arming, and disciplining, the Militia, and for governing such Part of them as may be employed in the Service of the United States, reserving to the States respectively, the Appointment of the Officers, and the Authority of training the Militia according to the discipline prescribed by Congress;<br/><br/>To exercise exclusive Legislation in all Cases whatsoever, over such District (not exceeding ten Miles square) as may, by Cession of particular States, and the Acceptance of Congress, become the Seat of the Government of the United States, and to exercise like Authority over all Places purchased by the Consent of the Legislature of the State in which the Same shall be, for the Erection of Forts, Magazines, Arsenals, dock-Yards, and other needful Buildings;—And<br/><br/>To make all Laws which shall be necessary and proper for carrying into Execution the foregoing Powers, and all other Powers vested by this Constitution in the Government of the United States, or in any Department or Officer thereof.<br/><br/>Section 9.<br/><br/>The Migration or Importation of such Persons as any of the States now existing shall think proper to admit, shall not be prohibited by the Congress; but a Tax or duty may be imposed on such Importation, not exceeding ten dollars for each Person.<br/><br/>The Privilege of the Writ of Habeas Corpus shall not be suspended, unless when in Cases of Rebellion or Invasion the public Safety may require it.<br/><br/>No Bill of Attainder or ex post facto Law shall be passed.<br/><br/>No Capitation, or other direct, Tax shall be laid.<br/><br/>No Preference shall be given by any Regulation of Commerce or Revenue to the Ports of one State over those of another: nor shall Vessels bound to, or from, one State, be obliged to enter, clear, or pay Duties in another.<br/><br/>No Money shall be drawn from the Treasury, but in Consequence of Appropriations made by Law; and a regular Statement and Account of the Receipts and Expenditures of all public Money shall be published from time to time.<br/><br/>The business of the of the Government of the United States shall be conducted in English; but no prohibition or regulation shall be made as to the languages that may be selected for the conducting of official business of any State.<br/><br/>No Title of Nobility shall be granted by the United States: And no Person holding any Office of Profit or Trust under them, shall, without the Consent of the Congress, accept of any present, Emolument, Office, or Title, of any kind whatever, from any King, Prince, or foreign State.<br/><br/>Section 10.<br/><br/>No State shall enter into any Treaty, Alliance, or Confederation; grant Letters of Marque and Reprisal; coin Money; emit Bills of Credit; make any Thing but gold and silver Coin a Tender in Payment of Debts; pass any Bill of Attainder, ex post facto Law, or Law impairing the Obligation of Contracts, or grant any Title of Nobility.<br/><br/>No State shall, without the Consent of the Congress, lay any Imposts or Duties on Imports or Exports, except what may be absolutely necessary for executing it's inspection Laws: and the net Produce of all Duties and Imposts, laid by any State on Imports or Exports, shall be for the Use of the Treasury of the United States; and all such Laws shall be subject to the Revision and Controul of the Congress.<br/><br/>No State shall, without the Consent of Congress, lay any Duty of Tonnage, keep Troops, or Ships of War in time of Peace, enter into any Agreement or Compact with another State, or with a foreign Power, or engage in War, unless actually invaded, or in such imminent Danger as will not admit of delay.<br/><br/></p><p>
  <b>Article II</b>
</p><p><br/>Section 1.<br/><br/>The executive Power shall be vested in a President of the United States of America. He shall hold his Office during the Term of four Years, and, together with the Vice President, chosen for the same Term, be elected, as follows<br/><br/>Each State shall appoint, in such Manner as the Legislature thereof may direct, a Number of Electors, equal to the whole Number of Senators and Representatives to which the State may be entitled in the Congress: but no Senator or Representative, or Person holding an Office of Trust or Profit under the United States, shall be appointed an Elector.<br/><br/>The Electors shall meet in their respective States, and vote by Ballot for two Persons, of whom one at least shall not be an Inhabitant of the same State with themselves. And they shall make a List of all the Persons voted for, and of the Number of Votes for each; which List they shall sign and certify, and transmit sealed to the Seat of the Government of the United States, directed to the President of the Senate. The President of the Senate shall, in the Presence of the Senate and House of Representatives, open all the Certificates, and the Votes shall then be counted. The Person having the greatest Number of Votes shall be the President, if such Number be a Majority of the whole Number of Electors appointed; and if there be more than one who have such Majority, and have an equal Number of Votes, then the House of Representatives shall immediately choose by Ballot one of them for President; and if no Person have a Majority, then from the five highest on the List the said House shall in like Manner choose the President. But in choosing the President, the Votes shall be taken by States, the Representation from each State having one Vote; A quorum for this Purpose shall consist of a Member or Members from two thirds of the States, and a Majority of all the States shall be necessary to a Choice. In every Case, after the Choice of the President, the Person having the greatest Number of Votes of the Electors shall be the Vice President. But if there should remain two or more who have equal Votes, the Senate shall chuse from them by Ballot the Vice President. <br/><br/>The Congress may determine the Time of chusing the Electors, and the Day on which they shall give their Votes; which Day shall be the same throughout the United States.<br/><br/>No Person except a natural born Citizen, or a Citizen of the United States, at the time of the Adoption of this Constitution, shall be eligible to the Office of President; neither shall any Person be eligible to that Office who shall not have attained to the Age of twenty-five Years, and been ten of those Years a Resident within the United States.<br/><br/>In Case of the Removal of the President from Office, or of his Death, Resignation, or Inability to discharge the Powers and Duties of the said Office, the Same shall devolve on the Vice President, and the Congress may by Law provide for the Case of Removal, Death, Resignation or Inability, both of the President and Vice President, declaring what Officer shall then act as President, and such Officer shall act accordingly, until the Disability be removed, or a President shall be elected.<br/><br/>The President shall, at stated Times, receive for his Services, a Compensation, which shall neither be encreased nor diminished during the Period for which he shall have been elected, and he shall not receive within that Period any other Emolument from the United States, or any of them.<br/><br/>Before he enter on the Execution of his Office, he shall take the following Oath or Affirmation:—"I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my Ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States."<br/><br/>Section 2.<br/><br/>The President shall be Commander in Chief of the Army and Navy of the United States, and of the Militia of the several States, when called into the actual Service of the United States; he may require the Opinion, in writing, of the principal Officer in each of the executive Departments, upon any Subject relating to the Duties of their respective Offices, and he shall have Power to grant Reprieves and Pardons for Offences against the United States, except in Cases of Impeachment.<br/><br/>He shall have Power, by and with the Advice and Consent of the Senate, to make Treaties, provided two thirds of the Senators present concur; and he shall nominate, and by and with the Advice and Consent of the Senate, shall appoint Ambassadors, other public Ministers and Consuls, Judges of the supreme Court, and all other Officers of the United States, whose Appointments are not herein otherwise provided for, and which shall be established by Law: but the Congress may by Law vest the Appointment of such inferior Officers, as they think proper, in the President alone, in the Courts of Law, or in the Heads of Departments.<br/><br/>The President shall have Power to fill up all Vacancies that may happen during the Recess of the Senate, by granting Commissions which shall expire at the End of their next Session.<br/><br/>Section 3.<br/><br/>He shall from time to time give to the Congress Information of the State of the Union, and recommend to their Consideration such Measures as he shall judge necessary and expedient; he may, on extraordinary Occasions, convene both Houses, or either of them, and in Case of Disagreement between them, with Respect to the Time of Adjournment, he may adjourn them to such Time as he shall think proper; he shall receive Ambassadors and other public Ministers; he shall take Care that the Laws be faithfully executed, and shall Commission all the Officers of the United States.<br/><br/>Section 4.<br/><br/>The President, Vice President and all civil Officers of the United States, shall be removed from Office on Impeachment for, and Conviction of, Treason, Bribery, or other high Crimes and Misdemeanors.<br/><br/></p><p>
  <b>Article III</b>
</p><p><br/>Section 1.<br/><br/>The judicial Power of the United States, shall be vested in one supreme Court, and in such inferior Courts as the Congress may from time to time ordain and establish. The Judges, both of the supreme and inferior Courts, shall hold their Offices during good Behaviour, and shall, at stated Times, receive for their Services, a Compensation, which shall not be diminished during their Continuance in Office.<br/><br/>Section 2.<br/><br/>The judicial Power shall extend to all Cases, in Law and Equity, arising under this Constitution, the Laws of the United States, and Treaties made, or which shall be made, under their Authority;--to all Cases affecting Ambassadors, other public Ministers and Consuls;--to all Cases of admiralty and maritime Jurisdiction;--to Controversies to which the United States shall be a Party;--to Controversies between two or more States;-- between a State and Citizens of another State;--between Citizens of different States;--between Citizens of the same State claiming Lands under Grants of different States, and between a State, or the Citizens thereof, and foreign States, Citizens or Subjects.<br/><br/>In all Cases affecting Ambassadors, other public Ministers and Consuls, and those in which a State shall be Party, the supreme Court shall have original Jurisdiction. In all the other Cases before mentioned, the supreme Court shall have appellate Jurisdiction, both as to Law and Fact, with such Exceptions, and under such Regulations as the Congress shall make.<br/><br/>The Trial of all Crimes, except in Cases of Impeachment, shall be by Jury; and such Trial shall be held in the State where the said Crimes shall have been committed; but when not committed within any State, the Trial shall be at such Place or Places as the Congress may by Law have directed.<br/><br/>Section 3.<br/><br/>Treason against the United States, shall consist only in levying War against them, or in adhering to their Enemies, giving them Aid and Comfort. No Person shall be convicted of Treason unless on the Testimony of two Witnesses to the same overt Act, or on Confession in open Court.<br/><br/>The Congress shall have Power to declare the Punishment of Treason, but no Attainder of Treason shall work Corruption of Blood, or Forfeiture except during the Life of the Person attainted.<br/><br/></p><p>
  <b>Article IV</b>
</p><p><br/>Section 1.<br/><br/>Full Faith and Credit shall be given in each State to the public Acts, Records, and judicial Proceedings of every other State. And the Congress may by general Laws prescribe the Manner in which such Acts, Records and Proceedings shall be proved, and the Effect thereof.<br/><br/>Section 2.<br/><br/>The Citizens of each State shall be entitled to all Privileges and Immunities of Citizens in the several States.<br/><br/>A Person charged in any State with Treason, Felony, or other Crime, who shall flee from Justice, and be found in another State, shall on Demand of the executive Authority of the State from which he fled, be delivered up, to be removed to the State having Jurisdiction of the Crime.<br/><br/>No Person held to Service or Labour in one State, under the Laws thereof, escaping into another, shall, in Consequence of any Law or Regulation therein, be discharged from such Service or Labour, but shall be delivered up on Claim of the Party to whom such Service or Labour may be due.<br/><br/>Section 3.<br/><br/>New States may be admitted by the Congress into this Union; but no new State shall be formed or erected within the Jurisdiction of any other State; nor any State be formed by the Junction of two or more States, or Parts of States, without the Consent of the Legislatures of the States concerned as well as of the Congress.<br/><br/>The Congress shall have Power to dispose of and make all needful Rules and Regulations respecting the Territory or other Property belonging to the United States; and nothing in this Constitution shall be so construed as to Prejudice any Claims of the United States, or of any particular State.<br/><br/>Section 4.<br/><br/>The United States shall guarantee to every State in this Union a Republican Form of Government, and shall protect each of them against Invasion; and on Application of the Legislature, or of the Executive (when the Legislature cannot be convened), against domestic Violence.<br/><br/></p><p>
  <b>Article V</b>
</p><p><br/>The Congress, whenever two thirds of both Houses shall deem it necessary, shall propose Amendments to this Constitution, or, on the Application of the Legislatures of two thirds of the several States, shall call a Convention for proposing Amendments, which, in either Case, shall be valid to all Intents and Purposes, as Part of this Constitution, when ratified by the Legislatures of three fourths of the several States, or by Conventions in three fourths thereof, as the one or the other Mode of Ratification may be proposed by the Congress; Provided that no Amendment which may be made prior to the Year One thousand eight hundred shall in any Manner affect the first and fourth Clauses in the Ninth Section of the first Article; and that no State, without its Consent, shall be deprived of its equal Suffrage in the Senate.<br/><br/></p><p>
  <b>Article VI</b>
</p><p><br/>All Debts contracted and Engagements entered into, before the Adoption of this Constitution, shall be as valid against the United States under this Constitution, as under the Confederation.<br/><br/>This Constitution, and the Laws of the United States which shall be made in Pursuance thereof; and all Treaties made, or which shall be made, under the Authority of the United States, shall be the supreme Law of the Land; and the Judges in every State shall be bound thereby, any Thing in the Constitution or Laws of any State to the Contrary notwithstanding.<br/><br/>The Senators and Representatives before mentioned, and the Members of the several State Legislatures, and all executive and judicial Officers, both of the United States and of the several States, shall be bound by Oath or Affirmation, to support this Constitution; but no religious Test shall ever be required as a Qualification to any Office or public Trust under the United States.<br/><br/></p><p>
  <b>Article VII</b>
</p><p>Section 1.</p><p>After the first enumeration required by the first article of the Constitution, there shall be one Representative for every 30,000 until the number shall amount to 100, after which the proportion shall be so regulated by Congress, that there shall be not less than 100 Representatives, nor less than one Representative for every 40,000 persons, until the number of Representatives shall amount to 200; after which the proportion shall be so regulated by Congress, that there shall not be less than 200 Representatives, nor more than one Representative for every 50,000 persons.</p><p>Section 2.</p><p>No law, varying the compensation for the services of the Senators and Representatives, shall take effect, until an election of Representatives shall have intervened.</p><p>Section 3. </p><p>Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.</p><p>Section 4.</p><p>A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed, nor shall any soldier in time of peace be quartered in any house, without the consent of the owner, nor in time of war, but in a manner to be prescribed by law.</p><p>Section 5.</p><p>The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.</p><p>Section 6.</p><p>No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a Grand Jury, except in cases arising in the land or naval forces, or in the Militia, when in actual service in time of war or public danger; nor shall any person be subject for the same offence to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb; nor shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself, nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation.</p><p>Section 7.</p><p>In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the State and district wherein the crime shall have been committed, which district shall have been previously ascertained by law, and to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation; to be confronted with the witnesses against him; to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor, and to have the Assistance of Counsel for his defense. In suits at common law, where the value in controversy shall exceed twenty dollars, the right of trial by jury shall be preserved, and no fact tried by a jury, shall be otherwise re-examined in any Court of the United States, than according to the rules of the common law. Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel,unusual,or excessive punishments inflicted.</p><p>Section 8. </p><p>The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people. The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.</p><p>
  <b>Article VIII</b>
</p><p><br/>The Ratification of the Conventions of seventeen States, shall be sufficient for the Establishment of this Constitution between the States so ratifying the Same.<br/><br/>The Word, "the," being interlined between the seventh and eighth Lines of the first Page, The Word "Thirty" being partly written on an Erasure in the fifteenth Line of the first Page, The Words "is tried" being interlined between the thirty second and thirty third Lines of the first Page and the Word "the" being interlined between the forty third and forty fourth Lines of the second Page.<br/><br/>Attest William Jackson Secretary<br/><br/>done in Convention by the Unanimous Consent of the States present the Second Day of August  in the Year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and Eighty Six and of the Independance of the United States of America the Tenth In witness whereof We have hereunto subscribed our Names,<br/><br/>G. Washington<br/><br/>President and deputy from Virginia</p>
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